Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Nigeria rescues 308 kidnapped victims, including Woro villagers
In Nigeria, a country in Africa, some very bad people sometimes take other people and keep them locked up, asking for money to let them go.
This is called kidnapping, and it has become a big problem there.
Earlier this year, bad people attacked a village called Woro and took many of its people.
They also took people from another place called Niger State.
This week, the government said its soldiers and police found these people and brought them back home safely.
Altogether, 308 people were rescued in one day, which the government says is the biggest rescue day ever.
The people were found in a big forest called Kainji Lake National Park.
The leaders of Nigeria, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, were very happy about the rescue.
But kidnapping is still a serious problem in Nigeria, and more people have recently been taken in other parts of the country.
The Nigerian government announced the rescue of 308 kidnapping victims, including 163 taken from Woro village in Kwara State and 145 from Niger State.
The victims were rescued from a location in the Kainji Lake National Park Forest in what officials called the largest single-day rescue operation ever carried out.
The operation involved the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the military, the Department of State Services, and the police.
The Woro victims were kidnapped in a February attack by suspected jihadists that killed more than 150 people and burned much of the village.
Kidnapping for ransom by criminal groups, jihadists, and bandits is a major crisis in Nigeria, particularly in areas with little state presence in the north and centre of the country.
- Who
- The Nigerian government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and security forces including the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, military, Department of State Services, and police.
- What
- The rescue of 308 people who had been kidnapped by suspected jihadists and other criminal groups.
- When
- Announced on a Wednesday; the Woro victims had been held since a February attack.
- Where
- Nigeria, with victims from Woro village in Kwara State and from Niger State; they were rescued from Kainji Lake National Park Forest.
- Why
- Kidnapping for ransom by jihadists, bandits, and criminal groups is a major crisis in areas of Nigeria with little state presence.
- Total rescued
- 308 victims
- Rescued from Woro (Kwara State)
- 163 people
- Rescued from Niger State
- 145 people
- Rescue location
- Kainji Lake National Park Forest
- Operation label
- Largest rescue operation ever carried out in a single day
- Participating agencies
- National Counter-Terrorism Centre, military, Department of State Services, police
- Woro attack death toll
- More than 150 people killed (residents told AFP upwards of 165)
- Ransom payments context
- About $1.66 million in ransoms between July 2024 and June 2025, per SBM Intelligence